10 Yemenite rebels were killed on Wednesday in renewed clashes with government forces in Yemen's northern province of Saada, while another six were killed on Tuesday in the same region, near Jebel Al Nusf.

The unrest follows the killing on Monday of eight policemen in Saada by supporters of slain Zaidi leader, Hussein Badr Eddin Al Huthi. Huthi had been killed at he hands of Yemen's military.

In response, at least 500 Yemenite troops traveling in tanks and other armored vehicles sealed off parts of the region, preventing the entrance of journalists to the scene of the fighting, according to the AFP.

The rebels reportedly sought to re-install the leadership of the a Shiite Zaidi clan in the northern part of the country, where is ruled until it was ousted by republican officers in 1962.

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh blamed the rebels for not abiding by the terms of a pardon issued by the government in September.

"Some of those who agreed to abide by terms of the amnesty and to stop repeating slogans that turn foreign countries into the enemies of Yemen were released from prison," Saleh told reporters. "But the ones who did not abide by the rules were not released."

As part of the pardon, Saleh promised compensation to the exiled family.

In a letter written by Huthi to Saleh, however, the former leader stated that "Your amnesty is not being implemented on the ground."